All participants in the Western
Regional Meeting Best Practices Competition must submit
an abstract of their presentation to the host chapter
(aalamir@calstatela.edu)
and the Regional Director, Bill Wells, (wellsbil@u.washington.edu)
no later than January 10th, 2006.
The abstract should be a summary
of the most important aspects of your presentation. It
should be submitted as a separate word document no longer
than one page in length.
These abstracts will be reviewed
by the judges in advance of the competition and will be
one component of each team’s total score. They will
be evaluated according to content as well as grammar.
Characteristics of an effective
best practices presentation abstract:
1. Clearly indicates which
topical category the presentation addresses
· Directly
addresses a 2005-2006 best practice topic provided by
the national office.
2. Draws the reader in
· Tells a story that makes the reader eager
to hear the full presentation.
3. Topical coverage demonstrates originality of
thought
· Explains how topical coverage is new
and unique.
4. Discusses relevant and meaningful issues
· Addresses what effects the project had,
or will have, on the community, chapter members, BAP,
etc.
5. Material is arranged in logical sequence
· Ideas are well-organized and conveyed
in a well-defined structure. This structure should include
a clear title, introductory, body, and concluding sections.
6. Demonstrates clarity of thought
· Provides insightful ideas and clearly
conveys the goal of your presentation.
· Provides concrete evidence to support
your claims.
7. Conclusion is concrete, integrates and supports
ideas contained in the abstract
· Summarize the underlying ideas and themes
of your project to leave the reader with a clear idea
of what your abstract was trying to convey.
8. Writing style conveys professionalism.
· Uses a professional writing style.
9. Abstract is free of mechanical errors (grammatical,
spelling, etc.)
· Make sure the abstract is well edited
and polished. Sentences and paragraphs flow from one section
to the next.
10. Includes required content:
· An outline of the project
· Goals of the project
· Outcomes or expected outcomes if the
project is yet to be completed at the time of the regional
meeting
· Number of members participating in the
project
· Description of non-member participants
and their roles
· Member hours spent on project
· An assessment of the benefits to the
chapter and others served by the project (i.e., lessons
learned, etc.)
· A description of any copyrighted material
to be used in the presentation.
Additional suggestions and tips
for writing abstracts have been provided by the executive
office at http://www.bap.org/rmguide/writing_chlst.htm.
